Chapter 46
Saturday morning, Lisa got up and got a shower. She had thought about sleeping in, but she didn't want to get too far off of her regular schedule so that she could get a decent night of sleep that night. She knew with her early flight the next day that she wouldn't be getting much sleep, and she needed to be tired when she went to bed that night.
As much as Lisa wished she could have gotten a flight into Lexington, there just wasn't anything good, and coming from Calgary made it more complicated. Having spent so much time in Kentucky, she knew that flying into the Cincinnati airport would be better. She could get to the area much quicker and just drive down to Lexington. It made her thankful that the Cincinnati airport was actually in northern Kentucky.
After spending the day doing laundry and getting things together and ready to go, Lisa was exhausted. The stress of everything didn't exactly help. She just hoped that she would be able to sleep.
Looking around the room, Jack asked, "Is there anything I can do to help you get ready to go?"
Lisa was tossing things into a suitcase on the bed. "No, I've got it under control. I'm not going to be gone that long, so it won't take me long to finish packing. I pretty much have everything together already. I just need to fold stuff and grab my travel toiletries. Thanks for the offer, though. You're sweet."
Jack pointed a thumb behind him. "I'm going to work on my flies. Let me know when you're done here so we can go to bed early. I know you like to drive yourself to the airport, but I want to get up with you and see you off before you go."
"Okay, I'll be done soon, and then we can try and get some sleep. Hopefully, I can sleep on my flight as well." Lisa smiled at her husband. She appreciated that he was willing to get up so early with her.
After Lisa finished her packing, she took a shower and blew her hair dry so that she didn't have to worry about it as much in the morning. As she was settling into bed with Jack, she sighed and looked over at him. "I'm going to miss you."
"I'm going to miss you too." Jack rolled over and kissed Lisa.
Neither of them could go to sleep. Jack was worried about Lisa, and Lisa was worried about how the trip was going to go. Despite not being able to sleep, they didn't say anything and just continued to try to sleep. Lisa was facing away from him, but Jack could tell that she was still awake, so he pulled her closer to him and wrapped an arm around her waist. He kissed her hair and whispered, "I love you."
Lisa was starting to fall asleep and didn't want to ruin it by responding, but hearing that her husband loved her as she drifted off gave her good dreams.
At about three in the morning, Lisa dragged herself out of bed. She just needed to make sure her hair wasn't too crazy and then got dressed and brushed her teeth before she loaded up her SUV and made the drive to Calgary.
Jack heard Lisa get up. He didn't want to get in her way while she was getting ready, but once he heard her grab her bags, he got out of bed. "Morning, Lisa. Wow, it's early. I don't even like getting up this early, and I'm a rancher."
Lisa nodded. "I know. I wanted to cry when my alarm went off this morning. It was just so early. I'm going to grab a couple of snacks for my trip, and then I'm going to go."
"Okay, I'll get dressed and brush my teeth. I can carry your bags out for you."
Once Jack got Lisa's luggage into her car, he turned to her and pulled her into his arms. "Be safe and call me when you get to the airport and when you arrive at your destination. I love you."
Lisa stood on her toes and kissed Jack. "I love you too. I'm already looking forward to getting back home to you."
"I'm looking forward to that too." Jack gave Lisa one last hug and then opened her car door for her to get in.
Lisa got in and rolled her window down. She held her hand out to Jack, and he took it and kissed it. "Bye."
"See ya, Lisa." Jack stepped back from her car so that she could drive away. He stood and watched until she turned onto the main road. He thought about going back to bed, but he didn't think he'd be able to sleep anyway, so he just made his way to the kitchen and got some coffee started in the coffee maker.
As Jack was making his way out to the barn to do morning chores, his phone went off. "Did you make it to the airport okay?"
"I did," replied Lisa. "It's so early that there aren't many people here yet. It's still pretty quiet."
"Good. I thought about going back to bed, but I knew that I wouldn't be able to go back to sleep. I do think a nap is in order for later in the day. Is your flight on time?" asked Jack.
"It is, thankfully," responded LIsa.
Lisa was quiet for a minute, and Jack wondered what was happening. "Are you still there, Lis?"
"Oh, yeah." Lisa realized she had spaced out and shook herself to be a little more awake and aware. "I just got distracted people watching. Everyone looks very sleepy and like they'd rather be anywhere else right now. I gotta say that I know the feeling. For example, I'd rather be at home in bed with you still sleeping."
Jack chuckled. "That sounds good. I'd like that too."
After Jack got off the phone with Lisa, he sat and spaced out. He was so tired, but it was time for him to do his chores. He hoped that Lisa had a successful trip. Jack knew how much it would help her confidence in herself.
Lisa's first flight to Chicago was on time, and there was no turbulence. She was grateful for the smooth flight so that she could focus on being prepared for her meeting with the person selling their horse. The nervousness meant that she struggled to sleep at all on her flight, but she did manage a 20-minute nap. She would have slept for longer, but the flight attendants came by with the drink cart and bumped her elbow. She was thankful that it was her left arm because it likely would have been very painful to get hit on her bad arm.
Once Lisa arrived in Chicago, she did a quick run to the washroom and then grabbed some food and a coffee at a shop near her gate. She was exhausted and desperately wanted a nap, but she was afraid she'd somehow sleep through her plane boarding, so she sent a text to Jack to let him know that she had made it that far. Once her flight boarded, she was able to sleep a little bit more, but she was completely exhausted by the time she arrived in Kentucky.
On the way to the rental car counter, Lisa called Jack to let him know she had arrived safely in Northern Kentucky at the Cincinnati airport. Hearing Jack's voice gave her the strength and courage to keep going despite feeling a lot of fear and trepidation about getting back to this part of her job.
Once Lisa picked up her rental car, she made her way to her hotel outside of Lexington, not far from the stables. Lisa decided to check in and order room service so that she could just relax at her hotel, call Jack, and get prepared for the following day.
After getting settled in her hotel room, Lisa changed into some lounge clothes and sat down on the bed. She leaned her head against the headboard and closed her eyes, and began to doze off. A knock at the door pulled her out of the sleep that was beginning to take over. Lisa stretched and got out of bed to go answer the door. Lisa looked through the peephole and saw that it was her room service. She opened the door and allowed them to drop her food off at the table in her room. She was grateful that she didn't have to leave her hotel room for the night. After tipping the man who delivered her food, she closed and locked the door behind him. Turning around to look at her food, she sighed. Lisa realized she was more tired than hungry, but she knew that they needed to eat something. She hadn't eaten much all day, and not eating wasn't going to help how she was feeling.
After forcing herself to eat a decent amount of food, Lisa brushed her teeth, washed her face, and climbed into bed. She picked up her phone and called Jack. It was good to hear his voice, but exhaustion was taking over. Jack realized quickly that Lisa was falling asleep and let her go with the promise to call in the morning before she went to the stable.
On Monday morning, Lisa pulled onto the stable grounds and parked her rental. It occurred to her that she wasn't totally sure where to go. After looking at her communication with the owner, Jason Martin, she saw that the instructions were listed in the email. She followed those directions to the stable office and knocked on the door.
Hearing the person inside tell her to come in, she entered the office. "Hello."
The stable owner stood and approached her. "Hi Lisa. It's good to see you again."
"It's good to see you too, Jason." Lisa had zero memory of this person, but according to her email and text history, they did have a cordial business/colleague relationship.
"How are you doing since the accident?" asked Mr. Martin.
"I'm doing much better. I was in the hospital for several days, and even after I got home, I was in so much pain. My husband and family took great care of me. They really nursed me back to health. I'm still not 100% back, but I'm almost there." Lisa hoped that they could stick to present-day conversations so she didn't have to pretend to know what he was talking about.
"Well, I can't tell that you were ever in an accident. I'm sure that wasn't the case for a while," said Jason.
"No, it wasn't. I had bruises all down the right side of my body, and my arm was in a cast and a sling for about 6 weeks." Lisa was thankful that the visible injuries were gone.
"How did the accident happen?" asked Jason.
"My husband and I were coming home from a weekend at the fishing cabin when he swerved to miss a deer and lost control of the truck. We spun around, and my side hit a tree. Thankfully, I don't remember the accident. Hitting the tree knocked me unconscious. I woke up in the hospital." Lisa shuddered at the memory of waking up in the hospital. It had been so frightening, and she really didn't want to think about that time.
Jason looked shocked at the story Lisa told. "That's gotta be scary waking up in the hospital and not knowing why you're there."
"Oh, it is." Lisa knew she needed to steer the conversation away from the accident now. "Enough about me. Let's talk about the reason I'm here. I'd like to see this horse."
"Of course. Let's go take a look at him." Jason got up from his desk and led Lisa to a paddock where the horse was grazing. "This is Stormy."
Lisa watched the horse for several minutes. They seemed like everything she looked for in a horse, but she wanted to get a closer look at him. "Can we bring him into a stall so that I can see him more closely?"
"Of course." Jason got the attention of the trainer, "Larry, can you put Stormy in his stall?"
"Sure thing, boss." The trainer attached the lead rope to the halter and led him back to his stall. Lisa and Jason followed closely behind.
Lisa looked the horse over. She was impressed by the horse and was ready to start making the deal when she saw someone she knew enter the stable. Lisa bristled at the sight of Michael Winters.
Mr. Winters didn't see Lisa at first. He called out as he walked towards them, "Are you having any luck selling Stormy?" As he got closer, he realized who was standing there with Jason. His eyes got big when he saw Lisa. "Ms. Stillman. I didn't know you knew Jason."
"Lisa is here to look at Stormy." Jason turned to address Lisa and said, "Michael and I co-own this horse."
Suddenly, Lisa was no longer interested in buying this horse, and she wanted to get out of there as fast as possible. She hoped that she had kept her face neutral so she didn't convey that to them. "I wasn't aware of the connection."
Michael looked concerned that she would say something about being kicked off her property. "I'm more of a silent partner with this horse. I don't really have anything to do with the day to day. I was more of an investor than anything."
Lisa wasn't interested in giving even a cent to Michael Winters. She was saved by her phone beeping. She checked it, and it was a message from Edwin letting her know that Rebecca's grandfather had passed and he would need to be out of work for a few days. He mentioned calling if she had any questions. "Excuse me. That's my stable manager. I need to speak with him." Lisa walked outside and called Edwin.
After Edwin answered, Lisa began to speak. "Edwin, I'm so sorry to hear about Rebecca's grandfather. It's a good thing that you didn't come on this trip. Although I find myself wishing that you are here. Do you remember the man I kicked off the property not long after I came back to work?"
"Yes, I do. What does that have to do with this trip?" asked Edwin.
Lisa sighed, "This horse is partially owned by him. I had no idea until he showed up here at the stable I'm visiting. I want no part of a horse that he owns."
"I don't blame you. Can you say that an emergency came up and you need to leave immediately?" asked Edwin.
"I probably could. I need to be careful about this, though." Lisa hated how this was turning out, but she was thankful that she had found out about the true ownership of the horse.
"Good luck. I need to get going. We're staying at a hotel, and we're heading out to see Rebecca's mom. I think she needs to see Rebecca right now. She and her dad were very close, and his passing is hard on her. Rebecca is pretty sad, too." Edwin seemed a little distracted.
Lisa felt badly for Rebecca and her mom. It's never easy to lose a family member. "I'm so sorry for their loss. Take your time with that. Let me know if you need more time off."
"Thanks, Lisa. Bye."
After Lisa ended the call with Edwin, she took a deep breath. She knew that she needed to get out of the sale and leave as soon as possible. When she reentered the stable, the two men looked up from their conversation. "Jason, I'm so sorry. Something has come up, and I need to get home as soon as possible. I don't have time to buy this horse right now."
"Oh, no. I hope everything is okay," said Jason.
"It will be. I just need to get going. It was good to see you." Lisa turned to address Micheal. "Mr. Winters." Lisa turned to leave. She shook her head at how poorly this had gone. All the money she had wasted on a trip to Kentucky only to leave less than 24 hours after she arrived seemed pointless. Lisa got in her rental car and left. She knew other people in the area and wondered if she could drop in and visit them to make the trip not quite so useless. It didn't seem smart, though, because word could get back to Jason and Michael about her not leaving immediately. She planned to get back on the highway and go a few exits down the road to where there were services and park her car so that she could see if there were any flights available for that day.
Feeling thankful that she had connected her phone to the bluetooth in the car, Lisa called Jack to tell him about what had happened with her sale.
"Lisa? I didn't expect to hear from you again so soon." Jack sounded surprised but happy to hear from his wife.
Lisa was so frustrated by how things had gone. "I couldn't go through with the sale. Do you remember the man I had to kick off my property not long after I started going back to work in person?"
"Yes. Why?" asked Jack. He sounded concerned.
"He showed up while I was looking at the horse. It turns out that he is a partial owner," explained Lisa. "I refuse to give any of my money to that man, so I just said that something came up and I needed to get back home quickly."
"I'm sorry it turned out like that. Is there any other business that you could do in Lexington while you're there?" asked Jack.
"Probably, but I don't want it getting back to the stable owner that I stuck around for too long. All of these stable owners know each other and like to gossip. I'm sure that my abrupt departure is already spreading around the circuit." Sometimes Lisa really hated how small this community was.
"Well, come on home if you can get a flight today. If not, get a good night of sleep at your hotel, and we'll see you tomorrow. You must be absolutely exhausted."
"I am exhausted," admitted Lisa, "although this whole situation certainly got my adrenaline running."
"I bet it did," responded Jack.
"I sure could use a hug from you. I hope there is a flight today, but it might make just as much sense to keep my original flight. It's leaving at about nine local time tomorrow morning. I'm sure that I could keep myself busy for the day. I have plenty of work to do on my computer. I need to call Fairfield and check in with them. Especially with Edwin not being there." Lisa knew it made more sense to just stay, but she also wanted to get home to Jack.
"Well, you'll get here when you get here. We'll be happy to see you whenever that happens," said Jack.
"I love you, Jack."
"I love you too, Lis."
"I'll call you once I get my flights figured out." Lisa looked up flights on her phone and tried to find one that didn't have an insane travel time, but she wasn't having much luck. It was looking more and more like she would need to stay the night in Lexington and just get on her original flight in the morning. Despite her disappointment at not being able to go home right away, she decided to just go ahead and go back to her hotel and get some rest and try to work a little bit.
A call came in from Jason Martin after she got back to her room. She didn't want to talk to him, so she let it go to voicemail and went to the bathroom and washed her face. When her phone beeped to indicate that she had a new voicemail, Lisa sighed and looked at the voicemail notification. She debated just ignoring it, but she was curious what he had to say and decided to listen.
"Hi Lisa." Jason paused for a second. "I was trying to figure out why you left so abruptly. After a bit, Michael admitted that he may have been the reason why you left so suddenly. When I pushed to find out why, he admitted that your female employees had accused him of being inappropriate. That isn't behavior that I put up with, so I talked to my stable manager, and he said that my female employees have said the same thing. I'm so sorry. I had no idea that he was doing that. I paid him back for his investment in the horse and threw him off my property. He is not welcome to work with me anymore. That's not how I operate. If you haven't left town, I hope that you'll consider coming back to complete the sale. Now that I've paid Michael off, I really need to sell this horse. I hope that we can continue to do business together. Bye."
Lisa sat down on the bed and looked at her phone. She didn't know what to think, but she was thankful that Mr. Winters' behavior had been exposed. Having someone on her side gave her some measure of relief. Now she had to make a decision about what to do. She wanted to talk to Jack and get his opinion, so she called him back.
"Did you already figure out your travel plans?" Jack asked when he answered his cell phone.
Lisa shook her head but then realized that Jack couldn't see her. "I kind of did just because there weren't any flights that got me back at a reasonable time. I decided to just stay here so that I could get a good night of sleep and come home tomorrow like I planned. The reason I called, though, is that Jason just called me and left a voicemail to let me know that he found out what happened with Mr. Winters and after talking to his stable manager found out that he had behaved the same way at his stable as well."
"Oh, wow. So what does that mean?" Jack questioned Lisa.
"I don't know, but I really did want to buy that horse. He said that he paid Michael back for his investment and kicked him off the property. Do I call him back and go see about buying the horse again?" Lisa didn't know what to do about the whole situation.
"If you really want the horse and you know that no money will be going to Mr. Winters, then I don't see why you shouldn't buy it," suggested Jack. "It's up to you, though."
"Yeah, I think I'm going to call Jason back and find out more." Lisa hoped that it would work out.
"Well, good luck. I love you," said Jack.
"I love you, too." Lisa ended the call and sighed. Everything was such a mess, and she had a decision to make about going forward with the sale. She hoped that she could trust Jason Martin and worked up the courage to call him back.
To Be Continued